Can surfing be unhealthy?

Can surfing be unhealthy? When I asked this question, some surfers assumed that I was talking about physical health. And rightly so.

I fashion many-a-scar brought on by surfing. I have scarred knees from getting stuck while popping up, scars on my shins from walking into the fins (when stored stationary), and a coral scar from landing on a reef. I’m very proud of the latter one.

I have also scraped my boobs raw when surfing in a bikini and suffered not-quite-concussions from getting hit by my board.

This stuff happens to everyone. Not even like a surf tax, it’s already included in the price.

can surfing be unhealthy—?

What I was actually asking was, in my mind: can surfing become very unhealthy mentally? I know it could.

When I spoke to Matt Warshaw, the dude who used to be a pro surfer and wrote “The History of Surfing” and “The Encyclopedia of Surfing”, he said that surfing became “negatively consuming” for him. He got to the point where he was no longer enjoying surfing.

So, how do you stop surfing from becoming a compulsion? How do you keep the enjoyment and other “bad” stuff at bay?

signs your relationship with surfing might be tilting

The first, important step is to recognize where we stand. Does any of this ring true?

You suffer from surveillance anxiety. Checking Surfline constantly. Comparing yourself to your surf buddies: who’s out, how big are the waves, who’s braver, who’s more committed.

Your identity is under threat. How can I even call myself a surfer if I am not out now? I’m not out in all the conditions. If others surf and I don’t, I have clearly failed.

You experience a scarcity mindset. Good waves feel rare. Missing one feels like wasting life. Why am I not out there?!

Maybe you’ve become a little bit too invested in measuring your progress and obsessively seek to retain your “I went out 5 days this week” streak.

Or you deprioritize other life experiences because going on vacation to surf is the only reasonable decision. How are you going to progress otherwise?

Better still, you miss your anniversary dinner because you’re squeezing the last of the hurricane swell.

Sounds familiar?

obsession isn’t automatically bad

Before we proceed, I want to make one thing very clear. I’m the last person on earth to tell you how to live your life.

I don’t actually believe being obsessed with surfing is a bad thing at all, as long as you are fully aware of the consequences and you accept them.

It’s totally okay to make life decisions around surfing.

You can make career decisions dictated by swell, you can travel only for waves, you can allow your life to narrow to a single focus that is surfing. You can solve anxiety by surrendering to identity, not detaching from it. And that is absolutely fine. Happy days!

the evolution of a surfer

Most surfers seem to be going through an evolution of their relationship with surfing, a certain timeline.

First, there’s a discovery phase, this pure joy of surfing and the “I have never done this before” revelation.

Second, we become a teeny tiny bit obsessed. Our lives get reorganized around surfing. Our free time is now surf-dependent.

Then, as we start comparing ourselves to other surfers, that’s where anxiety kicks in.

Thankfully, this is followed by acceptance—whether this means that you dedicate your life to surfing or you find a way for it to remain a delightful pastime.

reaching surfing nirvana

All of this means that it’s actually pretty simple to make sure that surfing doesn’t become very unhealthy for you.

It can play a big role in your life. The biggest, if you choose to. As with other things in surfing, it’s not deciding what role it will play that makes it mentally exhausting. Once you decide either way, you’re finally at ease. You’ve reached surfing nirvana.